1. to dig out and remove earth, rock, or other material from the ground
2. to uncover or expose by digging, especially archaeological artifacts or remains
Usage: archaeology
3. to form a hole or hollow by removing material

Examples

• The construction crew excavates the foundation for the new building.
• The archaeologist carefully excavates ancient pottery from the site.
• Heavy machinery excavates tons of soil each day.
• The team excavates a Roman villa buried for centuries.
• Water slowly excavates channels in the rock over time.
• The company excavates gravel from the quarry.
• Scientists excavate fossils from the sedimentary layers.